A Kiss Before Dying (Pegasus Crime) [Kindle Edition]

Ira Levin (Author), Otto Penzler (Introduction)

Book Description

A modern classic, this novel set a new standard in the art of mystery and suspense in its exploration of the criminal mind

A Kiss Before Dying not only debuted the talent of best-selling novelist Ira Levin to rave reviews and an Edgar Award, it also set a new standard in the art of psychological suspense. It tells the shocking tale of a young man who will stop at nothing—not even murder—to get where he wants to go. For he has dreams, plans. He also has charm, good looks, intelligence. And he has a problem. Her name is Dorothy; she loves him, and she’s pregnant. The solution may demand desperate measures. But, then, he looks like the kind of guy who could get away with murder.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Here is not merely an extraordinary first but an extraordinary suspense novel by the highest professional standards; and you have an evening of incomparable excitement ahead of you. Levin combines great talent for pure novel writing with strict whodunit tricks as dazzling as anything ever brought off by Ellery Queen or Agatha Christie.” —Anthony Boucher, The New York Times

 

“The book is a succession of quite legitimate surprises, the suspense is admirably sustained, the detail is thorough and convincing, and the writing is considerably above the level usually associated with fictional crime and passion. A pleasure to recommend.” —The New Yorker

About the Author

Ira Levin is the author of The Boys from Brazil, Rosemary’s Baby, Son of Rosemary, The Stepford Wives, This Perfect Day, Sliver, and A Kiss Before Dying (for which he won the Edgar Award). Levin was also the recipient of three Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe Awards. His website is iralevin.org.

Otto Penzler is the proprietor of the Mysterious Bookshop in New York City. He is the founder of the Mysterious Press and Otto Penzler Books, and has received an Edgar Award, an Ellery Queen Award, and a Raven Award for his contribution to the mystery field. His anthology The Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps was a New York Times Bestseller.

Product Details

• File Size: 470 KB
• Print Length: 288 pages
• Publisher: Pegasus Books (May 10, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004XXIHS2
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,624 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 55 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Can't-Put-It-Down Book! July 27, 2011

By Ohioan

Format:Paperback

My mother bought a hardback copy of this book when it first came out in the late 1950s, and when I was in high school and looking for things to read, I found her copy in the attic and read it. I could not put it down: it was very suspenseful, very well-plotted, and I had No Idea! When I finished the book I was very impressed. About fifteen years later I decided for some reason or other that I wanted to read "A Kiss Before Dying" again, just to see if it was as good as I remembered it. Despite the fact that I now knew everything about the characters and plot, and had by this time seen the 1950s film based on the book (good flick, by the way), I still enjoyed the novel and was impressed with what Levin had accomplished.

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Taught, Tense, Satisfying Thriller July 5, 2011

By kacunnin TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Ira Levin's `A Kiss Before Dying' is a taught, suspenseful thriller about a self-absorbed sociopath intent on marrying into money. The novel is divided into three parts, each focusing on one of three heirs to the Kingship Copper fortune. The sociopath, who we meet on the first page, is beautifully drawn and impeccably believable as he plots and plans to marry youngest daughter, Dorothy Kingship, and then sees his hard work fall apart as things fly out of control. But you just can't keep a good sociopath down, and what won't work with one sister might work well enough with another.

The novel is written in Levin's signature detached prose, which works perfectly for this noir-influenced, Hitchcock-like story - we find ourselves inside the heads of multiple characters, providing motive and believability to a plotline that comes dangerously close to being a potboiler. There's plenty of suspense and tension, the characters are likable and identifiable, and the twist (yes, there's a twist) is actually surprising (at least for readers who haven't seen one of the film versions of the novel!). Best of all, everything comes together satisfactorily in the end - and endings are the most difficult for books like this one.

Highly recommended - the 1956 movie version (with Robert Wagner and Joanne Woodward) isn't bad, either; it's just not as good as the book. It was an easy read on Kindle - if you like it, try Levin's other novels (`This Perfect Day,' `Rosemary's Baby,' `The Stepford Wives,' or `Boys from Brazil').

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Kindle Read June 1, 2011

By Gerald K. Osborne

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

My first introduction to the author Ira Levin: A great 'can't put it down', 'stayed up until the wee hours' to finish it novel. I can't wait to read his other works! And of course, with my Kindle, I can go purchase a few of those books right now.